Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has awarded €1.18 million in funding to 46 projects focused on farm safety, health and farmer wellbeing.
The funding, announced by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon, supports programs aimed at reducing injuries and fatalities on farms while expanding access to health and safety resources for farmers and farm families.
Projects selected under the Open Call for Farm Safety, Health and Wellbeing Projects include farmer physical and mental health checks, livestock handling training and tractor driving safety awareness training for children ages 14 and older.
The department said the funding initiative builds on previous open calls conducted during the past two years and drew a large number of applications from across the country.
Officials also expanded farmer health programs to include behavior change follow-up conversations with health professionals. The department reported that more than 5,700 farmer health checks have been completed since August 2024. Under the new initiative, farmers participating in health checks may receive tailored follow-up support intended to encourage additional steps to protect their health.
The department highlighted safety training efforts completed through previous funding rounds, including tractor driving safety awareness training for more than 400 children ages 14 and older. Officials said the training focused on the risks associated with tractors and farm machinery and on safe operating practices.
Livestock handling training was also identified as a priority area. The department noted that livestock incidents rank second behind tractors and machinery in fatal farm accidents. More than 400 farmers completed livestock handling training in 2025 through the program.
Funding for the projects comes from the department’s dedicated farm safety budget. Supported projects address topics including farm safety, physical and mental health, vision checks, support for older farmers, chainsaw safety training and working-at-height safety training.
Source: Government of Ireland, "Minister Heydon announces €1.18 million in funding for 46 farm safety, health, and wellbeing projects nationwide"